BACKGROUND: Conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy may not be desirable due to the increased complication rate and prolonged convalescence. In Denmark, nationwide data show that 7.7% of the laparoscopic cholecystectomies are converted to open surgery. This article aims to document the relationship of gender to conversion rate and length of hospital stay after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a national cohort of patients. METHODS: The gender of 5,951 patients from the 2007 National Danish Cholecystectomy Database was compared with conversion rate, length of hospital stay, and various risk factors using multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The findings showed that 14.3% of the patients had acute cholecystitis and that men had the highest risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66-2.27). The operative findings for the men included sequelae from previous acute cholecystitis more frequently than the findings for the women (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.67-2.15). The rate for conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery was 7.7%, and male sex was highly associated with conversion (OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 2.04-3.01). Thus, 259 (5.8%) of the 4,451 operations for women were converted to laparotomy compared with 199 (13.3%) of the 1,500 operations for men. No significant sex differences were found in the proportion of bile duct lesions (those requiring reconstructive surgery as well as those that could be handled by endoscopy or T-tube drainage, suturing, or both) or in the 30-day mortality rate. The multivariate analyses showed that male sex was a significant factor for conversion but not for length of postoperative stay or readmission. CONCLUSION: Men showed a significantly higher risk of the operation being converted from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy than women (OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 2.04-3.01). The main reason for this may be that men more frequently had acute cholecystitis or sequelae from previous acute cholecystitis. These results can be used to give patients a better basis for their informed consent and better resource management in connection with the operation.
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